Defending champions the Bulls proved too strong at Loftus Versfeld on the weekend as they notched up their second half century in two weeks, beating the Brumbies 50-32 in an entertaining match.

Flyhalf Morne Steyn scored two tries and kicked five conversions and five penalties as the home side picked up their second consecutive win in this years competition, with Steyn scoring 35 points in total.

The Brumbies were packed with talent and a handful of top class Wallaby players, including the returning Matt Giteau, and had actually led the match 27-20 and looked in control early in the second half.

It took a powerful forward performance from the Bulls to stop them though, scoring 30 unanswered points to take them to yet another home win in the tournament.

The Brumbies managed a consolation try at the end, scored by wing Pat McCabe after some great passing amongst the backs, but it was too little too late as the Bulls went to the top of the table after two rounds.

Captain Victor Matfield was cited after the match for allegedly striking Rocky Elsom, as well as charging into a ruck without binding onto another player. He has since been cleared though, and will be free to play their next match, against the Waratahs at Loftus on Saturday.

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The thing that really strikes me about this footage is the speed of the ball from the breakdown. The Bulls were only putting two forwards into most of those rucks and the ball was cleared away within a couple of seconds each time. I am happy to admit the S14 is superior to GP and I reckon that is the biggest reason - quick ruck ball.

The thing that really strikes me about this footage is the speed of the ball from the breakdown. The Bulls were only putting two forwards into most of those rucks and the ball was cleared away within a couple of seconds each time. I am happy to admit the S14 is superior to GP and I reckon that is the biggest reason - quick ruck ball.

I'd love to see a one-off challenge match between a S14 and HC champions.

I'll tell you what, the lines are beginning to blur. We're seeing NH players going south. Soon it will be a football style system where players will play for whomever pays them the most. And not just at the end of their careers either.

I'd love to see a one-off challenge match between a S14 and HC champions.

I'll tell you what, the lines are beginning to blur. We're seeing NH players going south. Soon it will be a football style system where players will play for whomever pays them the most. And not just at the end of their careers either.

Wow.. I am not going to go into a "NH better than SH" or other way round debate, but you see this video and it looks like it's two different codes...

I guess we will see how teams adapt to the new rules over the course of the Super14, and eventually there will be some form of compromise between the 2 hemispheres, but at this moment M the difference is massive.

One aside, I am a rugby fan above all and it saddens me to see empty stadiums like this. I don't know the SH but is it because tickets are too expensive ? In this case why is that the case, most of the money comes from TV anyway, why price out the fans.. A raucous stadium full of atmosphere is so much better.

Wow.. I am not going to go into a "NH better than SH" or other way round debate, but you see this video and it looks like it's two different codes...

I guess we will see how teams adapt to the new rules over the course of the Super14, and eventually there will be some form of compromise between the 2 hemispheres, but at this moment M the difference is massive.

One aside, I am a rugby fan above all and it saddens me to see empty stadiums like this. I don't know the SH but is it because tickets are too expensive ? In this case why is that the case, most of the money comes from TV anyway, why price out the fans.. A raucous stadium full of atmosphere is so much better.

You must be kidding, the tickets cost peanuts. Every single S14 game is shown live on TV in all 3 of the tri-nations, there's no protection like in English football/rugby. They're showing their true support by watching on TV instead of going to games.

You must be kidding, the tickets cost peanuts. Every single S14 game is shown live on TV in all 3 of the tri-nations, there's no protection like in English football/rugby. They're showing their true support by watching on TV instead of going to games.

good game and corse the SH play better rugby its because they dont have relegation so teams arnt scared to play running rugby. i watch rugby in england every week and the quality is getting worse and worse so i think they should add 2 more teams to the GP and the rugby will improve and so will the national team which tbh is going down the shitter aswell

good game and corse the SH play better rugby its because they dont have relegation so teams arnt scared to play running rugby. i watch rugby in england every week and the quality is getting worse and worse so i think they should add 2 more teams to the GP and the rugby will improve and so will the national team which tbh is going down the shitter aswell

all these nh rugby fans shut up. your rugby is piss poor how many trie sdid youse score agains the all blacks last year in the eoyt? you scored zero zip nothing! so how goods youre attack then? not very its the same as you defense easy to crack so shut up and go watch your magners league where scores are 6-3. losers

all these nh rugby fans shut up. your rugby is piss poor how many trie sdid youse score agains the all blacks last year in the eoyt? you scored zero zip nothing! so how goods youre attack then? not very its the same as you defense easy to crack so shut up and go watch your magners league where scores are 6-3. losers

Kearney for tests said...
I'm so glad someone brought this up. Mark lawrence blatantly obstructed ben alexander from the tackle. It should have been, sorry boys no try scrum.
WTF
this was a turning point in the match, the brumbies were in front... i think??
Alexander should have smashed Mark Lawrence and then said... sorry you were in the way.

Kearney for tests said...
I'm so glad someone brought this up. Mark lawrence blatantly obstructed ben alexander from the tackle. It should have been, sorry boys no try scrum.
WTF
this was a turning point in the match, the brumbies were in front... i think??
Alexander should have smashed Mark Lawrence and then said... sorry you were in the way.

"all these nh rugby fans shut up. your rugby is piss poor how many trie sdid youse score agains the all blacks last year in the eoyt? you scored zero zip nothing! so how goods youre attack then? not very its the same as you defense easy to crack so shut up and go watch your magners league where scores are 6-3. losers"

All blacks without Carters are the real losers. What happens when he plays bad? you loose in RWC quarterfinals. This player is a genius, and he makes ABs victories on his own. How many tries France scores IN New-Zeland in june? four. Probably the most beautiful try of the year with Heymans who made four black defenders being ridiculous. And we won the test series. So you shut up and go back in earth you're not alone to play rugby.

"all these nh rugby fans shut up. your rugby is piss poor how many trie sdid youse score agains the all blacks last year in the eoyt? you scored zero zip nothing! so how goods youre attack then? not very its the same as you defense easy to crack so shut up and go watch your magners league where scores are 6-3. losers"

All blacks without Carters are the real losers. What happens when he plays bad? you loose in RWC quarterfinals. This player is a genius, and he makes ABs victories on his own. How many tries France scores IN New-Zeland in june? four. Probably the most beautiful try of the year with Heymans who made four black defenders being ridiculous. And we won the test series. So you shut up and go back in earth you're not alone to play rugby.

Bloody hell, are they playing touch rugby in the super 14? Being French I must say that I enjoy the tries more than the big tackles but this is getting a bit silly. Every step or change of pace led to a try.

Bloody hell, are they playing touch rugby in the super 14? Being French I must say that I enjoy the tries more than the big tackles but this is getting a bit silly. Every step or change of pace led to a try.

It is a pity that each "comments" section on Rugbydump lately is being hijacked by idiots from both the SH and NH idiots, intent on not discussing rugby games or rules in particular, but focused solely on making broad generalisations about the other hemisphere, the sole purpose of which is to bait others contributors. Simply put, I think we can all agree that different rules apply, thereby allowing different styles of play to succeed. That the SH rules allow quick ball from rucks and mauls, attacking/running rugby, and therefore more tries is without dispute. That the NH rules reward keeping the ball and hand and intense contests at ruck/maul times likewise is uncontested. The rules dictate the style, and whether that style is preferable to the other is a decision which can only be made when the two styles meet playing under the same rules.

Let's keep discussion to various aspects of play in particular games, or the merits or otherwise of specific amendments to the rules. If not, then the comments section shall be reduced to a meaningless argument which never gets resolved.

And now for the game itself. Rocky Elsom had an absolute cracker of a game, and agree that he looks leaner and faster than in previous seasons.

Uli, as for your comment re "Victor Matfield showed him who's boss", I would direct your attention to Matfield's use of his carbon-fibre infused forearm protector when he hits Elsom on the ground. It's easy to teach someone a lesson on the pitch when you use a weapon. I was further surprised that no penalty attached to that, and the subsequent citing produced no ban for hitting.

Fourie du Preez, for mine, is the best halfback in world rugby at the moment. Quick and accurate ball, and astute decision making as to whether to run, kick or pass were the key to the Bull's victory. Still not convinced with Morne Steyn - du Preez makes him look good.

Finally, that try to Du Preez, with Mark Lawrence running interference, ought not to have been allowed. As commented above, it was at a pivotal moment in the match, and would have allowed a greater buffer at half-time to the Brumbies. Saying that, the Bulls deserved the win with an exhilerating display in the last 25 minutes.

One more, defence generally in the first two rounds of the S14 has not been up to standard, but think this has more to do with quick ball meaning players need to work harder and be fitter to ensure that they are onside and properly marking.

I am afraid the comments section could use a bit of moderation, this is descending into a dumbfest.

Like all rugby fans I'll rather see a 30-20 scoreline than a 6-3 scoreline, BUT my priority is to see a competitive game where there is permanent CONTEST for the ball.

I am quite confident that the SUPER14 is showing us to some extent the way to go. Once teams have adapted their defense to the new rules, the games will be more competitives and tries will be more the conclusion of a well crafted movement than a series of missed tackle.

I agree that NH club rugby can be very frustrating. we are at a point in the season where pitches are bad, teams are playing cutthroat rugby to escape relegation or qualify for Hcup, and the best players are in the national teams for the 6 nations.

Hopefully the rules interpretation will converge and we will escape the kicking fest that we can have in the north to get back to more positive rugby, but still allow a fair contest for the ball by the defense.

RD - could we please have a system whereby only people who are registered can leave comments? That way all these idiots could be regulated.

I think the real way the S14 shows the way forward is in its organisation. As I've said before I think English rugby should be regionalised and then play the Irish, Welsh and Scottish regions on a regular basis. Maybe 4/5 regions for England, 3/4 for Ireland, 3/4 for Wales and 2/3 for Scotland (that's just based on the relative population size of the countries, nothing more)

With a cap on how many foreign players each team could have we'd then get a situation where the best players from each country were playing together on a regular basis. The Welsh team was at its best when most of it came from the Ospreys, the Irish team is best when most of it comes from Munster/Leinster, the English team was at its best when at most 4 clubs provided players.

That's at least part of the reason the SH are stronger at the moment, the feeder competition is a more competitive breeding ground for players.

Now it is a good comp but one thing you have to remember when comparing it to other teams is that S14 runs for what, 3 months. No other comps running alongside, no internationals. So realistically teams have a single focus.

Secondly there is no loss to coming last. You ain't getting relegated and there is no financial loss for the club.

Ok, NH structures have made it the way it is, but your average GP/ML/Top14 team is playing in 3 comps, with 2 international periods in between when you lose half your squad and no matter how expansive your rugby is, if you lose you get relegated and the money stops coming in (look at Bristol for an example).

Say the Bulls carry on playing awesome rugby like this but lose the rest of their matches, is it really going to be a major loss? So they don't get ticket receipts for the final couple of rounds thats it. If they had the financial implications of getting relegated and not being in a couple of comps I reckon play would be much more cautious. It's the equivilent of them being told that if you get relegated your only playing Currie Cup rugby next year.

Ted, the problem with regionalising everything is that your put in the position of eradicating teams with a long history. For example, look at the regions, Midlands-do you go with leicester or northampton, SW-Bath, Bristol or Glos (by pure populus you'd say bristol, but there attendance is the lowest and they're not the best performers).

I don't believe the import ban makes too much sense either. Last year Leinster were a great team, but Elsom was a powerhouse that really help them achieve. OK, the likes of Toulon are taking it to an extreme but I don't think that will sustain itself in the longterm.

You wouldn't have to go with one team you'd just have the North, the Midlands, London and the South West. But yeah, it would never happen because teams with too much money/history would never vote to consign themselves to the dustbin.

The foreign imports are only needed because the competitions run at the same time as Internationals. If the comps ran separately like the S14 does then there would be no need to dilute home-grown talent with foreign imports.

The whole thing is probably unrealistic tbh, but I do think the poor quality of domestic rugby (esp. in England) has a massive effect on the national team.

I do see your point and agree with aspects of it. How the hell teams are supposed to be competitive over three comps when a decent percentage of their players are missing for 10 weeks of the season is ridiculous. Then you've got the inernational coaches whinging that they haven't got enough time with the players (like that has done any good).

What you need is windows where competitions can be played. If you've got internationals coming up don't expect teams to carry on playing through and then whinge that the quality of rugby in the GP isn't up to the level. Some players just look phsically and creatively knackered. The worst example of this is the summer internationals. 'So we've just had a 9 month domestic comp and other bits in between,what would be the best plan now, a 4 week tour in the southern hemisphere' genius.

Couldn't agree more - the whole thing's a mess. The summer tours in particular are ridiculous, just a money-spinning exercise for all involved. The players and the fans in both hemispheres end up getting short-changed.

To bring it back on topic - that is what I most admire about the S14set up. They've gone for simplicity - one competition, no relegation, no clashes with internationals. This isn't the only reason the S14 is such a good competition but I reckon it's the most important.

So let me get this right, do all you SH monkeys tongue each other because another SH team beat a NH team?! really? i mean, do you aussies peeps go bum touching with a bunch of saffers because they won the last RWC?

because you know damn right if it were up to you it would be aus that won and not SA....

and that being said, the only team that plays or seems to play, consistantly well is NZ and look how well they've done in the world cups....

The S14 currently has to be considered the best comp.
Think about it, all the best players from the three strongest rugby nations in Aus, NZ and SA concentrated into only 14 teams.
There are great, international players in every team, many teams are almost international sides.
These teams have very good support from their national unions and get all the best there is to offer in rugby, in terms of preparation, training and coaching.
They have been at the top for a long time and play in generally good conditions for running rugby.
They focus on skills and passing more than anything else.

The NH for many years was behind the SH. They went pro after the SH and are still catching up.
The clubs are generally privately run and so the resources, training facilities and coaching staffs of each club vary wildly.
Some of the top clubs have very good coaches but lack support from their national unions in terms of resources and training.
They have started from behind the S14 and are closing the gap, slowly but surely.
The top clubs now have more money for wages than any other pro teams in rugby and are signing some very good players and coaches, and are lifting the standards.
However, they have to deal with relegation, bad weather for running rugby and have only recently built the development pathways the tri-nations teams take for granted.

As it stands the European teams have closed the gap a great deal, but there is still a bit of work to be done.
Euro rugby needs to improve conditioning and preparation across the board, a big challenge due to the disconnect between the clubs and national unions.
Also the philosophy of many European clubs is negative (with several notable exceptions like Clermont, Toulouse, or Leinster).
They have good reasons for embracing no risk rugby but it falls short at international level, where only the best play will win world cups.

The gap is not wider and it is closing slowly, but the European clubs aren't quite there yet.
The national teams are also very close, France particularly, but again there is still a gap.

Mate, a lot depends on the conditions. For example, grounds like Leeds and Newcastle are currently like mudpits, it's usaually raining and about freezing. Even between top teams you aren't going to a decent score line.

I like the fact that the ruck interpretation has got rid of constant slow ball and would like to see NH referees take this into account.

I think the biggest issue here is the NH unions. They saw the blueprint that SH had set for the possibilities and instead of following suit, the NH old boys did what they do best, head straight into the sand. Private companies then came in and to the disgust of the Unions they actually wanted a return on their investment. I don't really buy all the rubbish from the RFU that they are getting bullied by the clubs and its compromising the international teams, they have had ample opportunity to do something about this situation and still they try to run the whole thing like it's stuck in the amateur era. The only people that constantly seem satisfied by this situation are people like Baron and Andrew. If the system isn't working you can't expect a change of coach to rectify the problem (and I'm assuming that's why most coaches wont touch the England job with a barge pole).

Once, these Unions sort themselves out things will be truely competitive.

Lets look logically:Such high scoring S14 games indicate :
1) crap tackling /defence,where by every attack results in a try.

2.) The opposing teams must be shite to allow such scorelines. 9ie they cant takle a sandwich)

3.)The gulf in talent between the teams must be huge to allow such massive scores.

You dont have to be a genius or a moron to comrehend that, your argument that scores of 50+ points equates to superior rugby is therefore flawed, not once have the SH gents defended the fact that your standard of tackling in S14 ( as viewed in these 3 games) is a joke. So you want to watch scores of 100 to 75 good for you,,,, And no I never said a 9-3 slogfest is better, give me a 22-20finish any day.

NH fans, since the last world cup the 6 nations teams have won 6 games out of 40 against SH opposition.
Australia hasn't lost a game at home to a European country since 2003.
NZ hasn't conceded a try against NH opposition when touring Europe for over two years.
6 games out of 40, how can you big note yourselves?
The tri-nations play away from home at the end of our season and still win consistently.
The S14 is faster rugby and more skilled than anything you lot up north could ever see in your club rugby.
It's a different level, it's like comparing apples and oranges.
Elsom, Spencer, Jack, Tuqiri, Staniforth, these are just some of the players in recent season who've come out and basically said NH club rugby is of a poor standard.
You guys keep on losing the majority of games, you can't score tries against SH opposition in 90% of cases, you concede tries in 90% of cases, your defense lacks real venom, your skills are second best.
All these things are indisputable.

Something some of you guys don't really get is the attitude of the players. Sure, bring on Munster etc, and we'll see a kicking, rigid, safe style of game, much like Test rugby unfortunately. But in the Super 14 the attitude towards attacking play is slightly different, so we get 'freak' matches, like what happened last weekend. It does NOT happen every weekened, believe me, and it doesnt mean that the players are crap, as you're insinuating.

There are plenty of normal scores happening, so dont write off the tournament so quickly, especially when the quality of players on show speaks for itself, and the fact that you have the number 1,2, and 3 international sides in the comprising the teams.

I hope that we get a few low scoring, scrumming, slow, kicking, tactical matches this weekend, just to make the NH respect the tournament more! How bizarre.

Everyone needs to grow up on this. I love going to rugby games and i am a proud ulster fan and yes if the bulls came to ravenhill i would put my money on the bulls. BUT you cannot say NH rugby is "shit" because its not. Some of the defence exhibited by 6 nations teams is mind blowing. but im not one of these biast nh fans. Jesus watch the AB's they play fantastic rugby and have done for years. In my eyes the styles that each hemisphere uses are DIFFERENT one is not better than the other. I'll admit i wake up at the early hours before my game jsut to watch these SH games. and id lie if i said i didnt enjoy them. so can everyone grow up and agree that each team has there only style and stop this hole "my daddy is beter than yours" mentality. Relax, enjoy rugby thats wat its ther for.